Looking for Repeat of 2014 Win at the Superspeedway
Aric Almirola will head to his home state of Florida this weekend to run double duty at Daytona International Speedway. With a 12th-place finish under his belt at the superspeedway already this season, Almirola is looking to return with another strong finish. Almirola won his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Daytona in July 2014, the 30th anniversary of Richard Petty 200th win. The team is excited to return to the track with the No. 43 Smithfield Ford and make their way back to Victory Lane.
Almirola will also pilot the No. 98 Fresh From Florida Ford in the NASCAR XFINITY Series for Biagi DenBeste Racing. He finished 11th for the team earlier this year in Daytona in the series’ opening weekend.
Having 10 starts at Daytona International Speedway in the Sprint Cup Series, Almirola has one win at the track. Almirola has raced at the superspeedway in the XFINITY Series seven times. He has a best finish of seventh-place in the season-opening race of 2015.
Almirola will appear at Safeway in Altamonte Spring, Fla. on Friday, July 1. Along with the No. 44 Albertsons Ford Brian Scott and “The King” Richard Petty. Almirola and Scott will participate in a shopping cart race through the grocery store to get as many specific groceries in his cart as possible. Two special customers will team up with Scott and Almirola, with the customer of the winning team receiving the items in the shopping cart. Petty will be official starter and judge. Following the shopping cart race, the three drivers will be on hand to sign autographs for 125 fans. Wristbands will be distributed to those 125 fans at the Safeway store starting at 6:00 a.m. The event is open to the public and to media.
When: Friday, July 1 from 10:00 a.m. – noon. The shopping cart race will begin at 10:00 a.m.
Where: Safeway, 503 E Altamonte Dr., Altamonte Springs, FL 32701
Fans at Daytona International Speedway will have the opportunity to see Almirola on race day! Almirola will be on hand at the Sprint Fan Zone main stage in the infield on Sunday afternoon talking with fans and answering their questions.
When: Saturday, July 2 from 4:15 – 4:30 p.m.
Where: Daytona International Speedway Sprint Fan Zone (Infield)
Fans can get in the car with Almirola by listening to his live in-car radio feed on SiriusXM Radio Channel 119 during this weekend’s race in Daytona.
“Daytona International Speedway is a special track for me. Coming to the Firecracker 400 was part of our family vacations every year when I was a kid. I remember sitting in the same grandstands watching every race, and they’re all special memories. So to go there and be a driver in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is pretty awesome. Our team had a fast No. 43 Smithfield Ford Fusion there earlier this year, and we finished 12th in the Daytona 500. We also raced well with our superspeedway package at Talladega back in April. We were taken out in a wreck, not of our own making, but we had been running in the Top 10 all afternoon. So I’m really confident in our chances heading into this race. I think we’ll run up in the top with the leaders and bring home a great finish for Richard Petty Motorsports. ”
A performance and marketing driven company, Richard Petty Motorsports, co-owned by NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty and successful business entrepreneur Andrew Murstein, is one of the most recognized brands in all of motorsports. With a history of over 200 wins and business partnerships with national and global leaders, today the race operation fields two teams in competition in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with drivers Aric Almirola and Brian Scott. Almirola will return to the iconic No. 43 Ford with partners Smithfield Foods, STP, United States Air Force and the “Fresh From Florida” campaign. Scott will make his debut with the team and drive the Petty Family No. 44 Ford. Albertsons Companies, Shore Lodge, Twisted Tea and GoBowling.com will join Scott as he competes for Rookie of the Year in his first full-time season in the Sprint Cup Series. Richard Petty Motorsports will also field the No. 43 Ford Mustang in the NASCAR XFINITY Series. The team is headquartered in Mooresville, N.C.
